Get Answers for a Cat Not Eating at CatHealthBehavior.com

The cat not eating question is asked often. Lets discuss a few reasons that your cat may refuse a meal and then you can decide if any of these apply to your feline friend.

Just as you may push a meal away for various reasons so may your cat. Loss of appetite can be a symptom of illness, but in order to make this diagnosis you must study your cats eating habits first.

Many cats are always ready for their meals and will eat the meal quickly, like they’re starving. Other cats are slow or even reluctant eaters and it may take them a while to consume their given portion.

This is just like humans as in some are fast eaters and some are very slow picky eaters. After studying your cats eating habits you will be able to identify a deviation from this.

If this happens it may indicate a temporary problem or a more serious issue requiring action on your part.

If your cat not eating problem is due to an illness usually this loss of appetite will be accompanied by other symptoms such as listlessness or refusing to participate in every day activities like grooming.

Other signs can include bad temper or hiding away in unusual places that they would not usually visit. Also a deviation from usual routines or favorite activities like jumping in a new box or chasing bugs on the floor.

If your cat has not eaten for more than 24 hours and exhibits any of the above symptoms visiting your vet is highly recommended. You may also want to seek the council of a animal nutritional health specialist. Or you can contact a certified, tested and approved cat professional at just answer.

More Reasons for a Cat Not to Eat

A cat allowed outside may have found some miscellaneous pray or have been fed by another homeowner in the neighborhood.

A good way to determine a cats activities outside is to track them when they are let out. If the cat is being fed by another household he might go directly to this spot as soon as they are released.

You can then question the homeowner to see if your cat has been paying them regular visits for food.

Your furry friend may not be eating because they are just upset. Stress is another large cause of the cats loss of appetite. Felines can be very sensitive animals and your cat may be under more stress than you are aware of.

My Domestic Tabby “Riley” hates when people knock hard on the front entry door. If this happens at her dinner time she has been known to skip the meal.

Another reason that may cause your cat stress could be a territorial dispute or a fight with another cat. A territorial dispute can be very upsetting to your cat and ruin their appetite.

You may even have stress factors in your own home. Introduction of another pet or changes in the domestic routine or even moving furniture may upset your cat enough that they will not eat.

Try to observe any changes in your cats habitat and return them to the way they were. Then let a few hours pass and try re-feeding your cat and test the results.

My Cat is Still Not Eating

Don’t forget that stubborn hairballs can fill up the stomach and change kitty’s eating routine until it’s coughed up or discharged. But yet another reason your cat may turn down a meal is that maybe their regular food has gone through some kind of a recipe change.

This happened to our family many years ago with a cat that preferred nine lives tuna. I put the can down as usual but for several days only a mouthful was taken.

The food looked the same and was the same color but I noticed a small oval on the can that said new and improved flavor. We liked the way it was for years.

I have a suspicion that the improvement lowered the cost per can, therefore increasing profit for the manufacturer? This can be a common reason for a cat not eating. Pet food company’s can change the ingredients or recipe without notifying you at all.

My cat did not agree with this recipe change and did not think the new flavor was improved. At that point I wasn’t cooking home-cooked meals for them. So I experimented with a few different brands until I found one that she liked.